The deportation of West African migrants from Nigeria occurred following a January 1983 executive order from President

Shehu Shagari Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari (25 February 1925 – 28 December 2018), titled Turakin Sokoto from 1962, was the first democratically elected President of Nigeria, after the transfer of power by military head of state General Olusegun Obasanjo in ...

, which forced

illegal aliens Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwar ...

to leave the country or face arrest. As a result of Shagari's order, over two million migrants were deported, including one million

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

ian nationals.

History

Many of the migrants had been attracted to Nigeria because of the 1970s oil boom, but by 1983 the economy had weakened. Shagari's order was in alleged response to the religious disturbances that had engulfed parts of the country in 1980 (known as the Kano Riots) and 1981. Prior to 1983, the expulsions of immigrants have occurred several times in West Africa for various reasons. These include Ghana's deportation of Nigerians in 1954 and 1969 and Togo's deportation of nationals from

Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

Dahomey The Kingdom of Dahomey () was a West African kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904. Dahomey developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in the early 17th century and became a region ...

, and Nigeria in 1958.

Conditions for migrants

The primary route to Ghana was westwards, passing through

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

and

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

. Because of an attempted coup the previous year, the President of Ghana, Jerry Rawlings, had closed the main land crossing with Togo, and to avoid a sudden influx of returnees, Togo then also shut its borders with Benin. Therefore, once the migrants reached Benin, the way out was restricted and they were forced to remain in the port of

Cotonou Cotonou (; fon, Kútɔ̀nú) is a city in Benin. Its official population count was 679,012 inhabitants in 2012; however, over two million people live in the larger urban area. The urban area continues to expand, notably toward the west. The ci ...

, the country's seat of government, attempting to find a boat to Ghana. After they had been stranded for more than a week, Ghana reopened its borders, causing Togo to do likewise so that the Ghanaians could return home.

Legacy

"Ghana Must Go" bag

A type of cheap matted woven nylon zipped tote bags, used by the migrants to move their belongings, got the moniker "Ghana Must Go" during the migration. , the bag is still commonly referred to with this name in most parts of Nigeria, Ghana, and certain parts of West Africa. In 2020, New York-based Nigerian photographer Obinna Obioma used the bags to fashion clothing and other items in an exhibition on migration titled ''Anyi N'Aga'' ("We Are Going" in Igbo). Worldwide, the bag has a variety of other names associating it with migrants. In Germany it is called the "Türkenkoffer" (Turkish suitcase), in the US, the "Chinatown tote", in

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

, the "Guyanese Samsonite", and in various other places, the "Refugee Bag".

Impact on modern politics

The relationship between Nigeria and Ghana has improved since the events of 1983.{{Cite news, date=2017-05-11, title=Ghanaians love to visit these 5 Places in Nigeria, website=News Ghana, url=https://www.newsghana.com.gh/ghanaians-love-to-visit-these-5-places-in-nigeria/, access-date=2017-05-14

References

History of Nigeria History of Ghana 1983 in Nigeria 1983 in Ghana Anti-immigration politics in Africa Xenophobia in Africa Ghana–Nigeria relations